Sanctuary
by OtherLuces
Summary: Kenny and Karen show up at the Tucker family doorstep one evening needing a safe place to stay. Craig wants to know what happened, but only when Kenny is ready to talk. Rated M for language, mild violence, and some dark themes.


The last thing Kenny could remember clearly was the sound of his father's hand colliding with Karen's head. Whatever happened after that was lost in a blur of light and dark, and muffled sounds that seemed close yet distant. Karen's gentle sobs brought him back to his senses, and he realized that he was carrying his little sister in his arms and that he was standing in front of Craig's house. Apparently his body had taken him here on its own. It instinctively knew that this was a safe place for them to be right now.

"Can you walk, Karen?"

She nodded, not yet ready to form words. He placed her down onto the cold ground, then held her hand in his own. Together, they approached the Tucker's front door. After several loud knocks, they finally heard a nasally voice from inside.

"Alright dad, I'm getting it! Goddamn."

Craig opened the door and was surprised to see his friend this late at night. He quickly scanned his eyes over the two siblings before quickly ushering them inside. He knew not of what had happened, but he knew it was urgent.

"Who is it, Craig?" His mother called from the kitchen.

"It's, uh...Kenny and Karen."

"It's too late to have a playdate if that's what this-" Mrs. Tucker had entered the living room and abruptly stopped speaking when she saw the two children. "Oh my god! What happened to you?!" She rushed over and knelt in front of Karen, taking her face in her hands and surveying the damage. A large blotch of deep purple was beginning to form around her eye and her eyebrow had been busted open. A smear of red covered her cheek from where blood mixed with tears.

Craig stared at Kenny, his own questions wanting answers, but it looked at though Kenny could barely speak let alone process whatever had happened.

"We can't go home tonight. Could we...?" Kenny's voice trailed off, unable to finish the plea. His face hardened and Craig could sense the weight his friend was carrying. Craig turned to his mother, waiting for an answer.

"Of course, dear! You can stay as long as you need to. There's some leftover lasagna still on the kitchen table if you kids want to eat." She turned back to Karen, who still was in a state of shock. "Let me clean you up first, Karen. I'll have Thomas tell Tricia you're here and she can get you a sleeping bag ready."

Karen turned to look at Kenny, her eyes nervous. His brow furrowed. It pained him to think that she was still feeling a sense of fear even though they were in place where she wouldn't be hurt again. He nodded and smiled as much as he could given the situation. It was enough of a confirmation for Karen and she took Mrs. Tucker's hand, following her upstairs to the bathroom.

"You hungry?" Kenny had almost forgot that Craig was standing right next to him.

"Yeah…but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to keep anything down right now if I tried," Kenny answered.

"How about a glass of water?" Kenny shrugged and Craig left for the kitchen.

Kenny was surprised at how proficient Craig was at making sure his basic needs were met. Sure they had become close friends during middle school, but he figured he'd still have been ripping on him in some way. He rarely got to see this side of Craig. This softer, gentler version of Craig. It was cute and sweet, even if felt a little odd.

Craig returned with the water and nodded his head toward the stairs. "Come on, let's go get you settled in my room."

Once upstairs, Craig let Kenny take time to have a hot shower while he found some clothes that would fit the lanky young man. He dug an extra toothbrush out of the medicine cabinet and placed it on the sink. He listened to the sound of the water hitting Kenny's back, rolling off, and hitting the shower floor. He always enjoyed a nice hot shower when things were really fucked, and he hoped that it worked for Kenny as well.

He was about to leave the bathroom so Kenny could have his privacy, but he hesitated for a moment.

"Do you…wanna talk about what happened?"

The splashing water echoing off the tile walls was his only response. He sighed and went back to his bedroom.

When Kenny finally came out of the shower, Craig had finished setting up a sleeping bag and pillow of the floor. He'd let Stripe out of his pen and was gently holding the guinea pig in his arms while it ate some green leaf lettuce. He turned away so that Kenny could get dressed without prying eyes. He turned back when he heard Kenny finally speak.

"Thanks. For all this."

"You're welcome, but really you should be thanking my parents. They're not the most friendly of adults in South Park, but they're surprisingly cool when one of our friends needs help. Whenever I see them like this, I always suspect they've been switched with pod people."

Craig managed to pull a chuckle out of Kenny, and it made him feel a little better. Craig crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.

"Uh..." Kenny sounded like he was about to say something, but either couldn't find the words or the nerves to say them.

"What's up?"

"Could I..? Could I sleep with you in your bed tonight?" he asked nervously. The awkward silence that hung in the air made him regret saying anything at all. "Nah…forget it. I just...I kinda wanted to be close to someone right now."

Craig was now having trouble finding his own words. "Y-yeah, sure man. Whatever you need." Craig lifted the covers to let Kenny slip underneath. "Comfortable?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"'Night, Ken."

"'Night, Craig."

Kenny lied there in the darkness and the silence. It was relaxing, peaceful. He was finally about to drift off into some much needed sleep, when everything that happened that night decided to flood back to him.

Kenny remembered his drunk father yelling at him for some perceived wrong-doing. That wasn't anything new. He remembered his father pushing him in the chest. Failed attempts at insults. _You think you're a big man, huh? You're just a pathetic punk-ass piece of shit. You're just like me._ Kenny had simply taken a deep breath and stood there, accepting the abuse. He knew his father couldn't hurt him, and even if he did, it wouldn't matter in the end. It never did.

Kenny remembered Karen coming out of her bedroom, clutching at the hem of her nightgown. He remembered her soft voice from behind him. _Daddy, quit it!_ Daddy didn't quit it, and didn't pay her much mind. Kenny had put his hand up, trying to make sure she stayed back. _Go back to your room, Karen_ , he had said, _I'm okay_. But she didn't go back to her room. Kenny's father continued to harass him, becoming rougher with his pushes, even starting to lightly smack his face in a mocking manner. _Daddy, leave him alone!_ she pleaded to no avail. _Stay out of this_! Kenny insisted.

Kenny remembered his sister appearing at his side, her small frame standing defiantly as she tried to grab her father's hand away from her brother. _Let go, you little cunt!_ His father's hand flew back at Karen's head, knocking her to the ground.

Kenny remembered every fiber of his being tensing up, filling with unbridled rage. His body rushed forward as he tackled his father to the ground. His knees pinned his father's arms to the floor as he sat on his chest. His fists slammed down onto his father's face, fueled by every ounce of hate for his father that he had stored away over the years, because it was never worth the trouble. Until now. Until his father had dared to lay an unkind finger on his sister. Kenny remembered hearing her cries. They were distant at first, and slowly sounded closer and closer until he could make out what she was screaming. _Kenny, please, stop!_

He remembered freezing in place atop his father's now still body. He remembers looking at his hands covered in his father's blood. His father's face was unrecognizable in its current state. He remembered calmly standing up and heading into the bathroom to wash his hands. He remembered his hands shaking, barely able to hold the bar of soap. He remembered returning to a trembling Karen and scooping her up into his arms. He remembered leaving his house without checking to see if his father had a pulse.

Craig awoke with a start as he felt Kenny's body next to him shudder violently. "Hey? Hey Kenny, what's the matter? You okay?"

"Craig…I can't go home. Like ever. I fucked up, dude. I really fucked up." Everything that Kenny had been holding inside opened all at once, tears began to stream down his face through choked sobs. "I think I might've killed my father, Craig."

Craig's eyes widened in the dark. He didn't know how to respond. What could he say that would help or change anything at this very moment? Not knowing what else to do, he wrapped his arms around Kenny and pulled him against his chest. He felt his friend's tears soak into his t-shirt as he gently stroked the blond's mess of hair.

"It's gonna be okay. You just have to keep telling yourself it's gonna be okay."

Even as Craig said the words aloud, he knew he didn't believe them. He knew Kenny didn't believe them either, but as his friend squeezed him tighter in the dark, Craig knew that he was willing to accept the lie for now.


End file.
